Friends Share
by corikane
Summary: It's Christmas and two inhabitants of Storybrooke are tired of the peaceful holiday time. They share a special present and some personal thoughts. [Characters are not mine. No copyright infringement intended.]


**A/N: I'm not sure what this is but I leave it for you to make sense of. Hope you like.**

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><p>Emma sat leaning against a tree, her long legs stretched out in front. She was looking up at the few stars she could see through the tree tops, but she had her eyes half-closed against the smoke of her jiffy.<p>

She was smiling what seemed the first smile in days.

"Christmas!" she huffed into the night sky.

"Miss Swan?" A voice from around the tree she was leaning against asked. For a moment, Emma was convinced that the voice belonged to a daydream she was sometimes having. One that had the mayor in it, and nakedness and the kind of naughtiness Santa Clause wouldn't be happy to know about. But then she felt the vibrations of footsteps in the hard earth beneath her and she looked over her shoulder. Regina just came around the tree.

"What're you doing here?" Emma asked not too friendly.

"Me? How about you? And where is Henry?"

"I have him in my pocket, what do you think? He's home with my... parents," the last word was grumbled through a tense jaw.

Regina lifted an eyebrow, seemingly amused.

"Your... parents?" Regina asked, imitating Emma's tone. "What happened at house Happy Family? Did the Grinch steal Christmas?" She was smiling and Emma was scowling at her obvious mirth.

"It's nothing," she said and took another pull from her joint, realizing too late Regina's shocked expression.

"Are you serious?" the mayor asked.

"I'll share if you don't rat me out to... the whole town?" Emma offered with a hopeful expression.

Regina seemed undecided what to do. She was standing a little awkwardly some feet away, looking down at Emma but then looking up at the stars. She took a deep breath, then nodded without another word. "May I?" she pointed at the space next to Emma and the blonde scooted over a little to make more room for her.

"Sure." Emma held her hand up and Regina took it as she sat down.

Emma had to smirk, seeing how she now sat next to Regina on the cold earth of the forest. They were lucky it wasn't a white Christmas in this part of Maine. Emma had an inkling that this had something to do with some kind of magic. It was unusually warm for this time of year.

Emma held the jiffy out to Regina who took it gingerly. To Emma's surprise she inhaled deeply and didn't even have to caugh.

Regina smiled at Emma as she handed the joint back.

"Good."

Emma laughed, something she hadn't done in a while, so long in fact that she didn't remember the last time she'd done it. "Seems the evil queen has another secret."

"I've been here thirty years, with princesses, princes, dwarfs and whatnots. Do you honestly think that's managable without at least a small amount of drugs?"

Emma thought about this for a moment then nodded. "I understand."

"You seemed quiet happy here so far. Did something happen? Something other than fighting evil and being Miss Goody-Two-Shows, I mean?" Regina grinned cheekily at Emma. The sheriff shook her head and took another pull from the joint.

"You don't have to talk about it. We can just sit here and smoke and pretend we're all right when we both know better. Why else would we be out here in the middle of the night instead of with loved ones?"

"If we're going to open up to each other, why don't you start?"

"You're no fun, do you know that?" Regina said and took the jiffy Emma held out to her. She took a deep pull then another. "Where did you even get this?"

"Ever heard of medical marihuana?"

"In Storybrooke? No."

"Sneezy." Emma said and had to laugh at Regina's comical face. "He's a business man. Where did you get your dope, if I may be so bold to ask?"

"Sidney. Haven't had any since... well, since he disappeared."

"Will you ever tell me what happend to him?" Emma bumped her fist against Regina's knee, her knuckles warm against the cool fabric of Regina's dark slacks.

"No." There was no room for discussion in her answer.

"I will find out eventually, you know?"

"I know no such thing. But I think I will visit my good friend Sneezy one of these days. May I use you as a reference?"

For a second all that was heard were the animals in the underbrush, then laughter split the silence. It was sudden and loud and free and it came from both women.

"You're bad, evil queen. And I like it." Emma leaned into the mayor a little and was surprised to find Regina mirroring the movement until her head lay against Emma's shoulder. "You tired?"

"Not really," came the answer but Regina didn't move her head. "Will you tell me what your parents did that made you come here?"

"It wasn't... I mean, it's not their fault, really. I just... sometimes... God, can you imagine living with Snow White and Prince Charming? Being their love child? Do you know how many successful relationships I've had in my life? Zero, that's how many. And here are my parents and they're..."

"Perfect," Regina finished Emma's sentence and the sheriff nodded.

"Exactly. It's tiring. THEY ARE tiring.. I mean, I love them, I really do."

"But they're exhausting. They're so perfect it hurts to look at them."

"Yeah, kinda." Emma took another pull from the joint but it had gone out. She relit it and took another deep smoke before she handed it to Regina.

"I know all about it, love. At times it made me so furious, I couldn't breathe."

"Were you and Daniel like that? So much in love, it hurt people to look at you?"

Regina didn't immediately answer and Emma was about to apologize when Regina shook her head. "We didn't get the chance to become that kind of couple. Daniel died before anyone could see us being happy together."

"I'm sorry, I really am."

"It wasn't your fault. I shouldn't have trusted your mother... or my mother, for that matter. It doesn't pay to trust people with one's happiness."

"You just wanted your mother to be happy for you, that's a natural instinct," Emma disagreed.

"I should have known better." Regina blew out the smoke then looked up at Emma. The blonde looked down into the mayor's chocolate brown eyes.

"God, you're lovely," Emma breathed without thought.

Regina pushed her hair back, she seemed to blush a little. Then she laughed. "You're high, sheriff."

Emma joined her laughter but it didn't sound as freely amused as Regina obviously was. "I am," she said proudly.

"Last drag," Regina said looking at the joint in her hand. She held it out for Emma to take but the blonde shook her head.

"You take it. I'm good."

Regina chuckled. "You certainly are. Good and high, that's the sheriff of Storybrooke."

"Cut the sarcasm. I may be high as a kite but I'm not that good - not in the way my parents are."

"No, you're actually better than your parents," Regina said and took the last drag of the jiffy. She pushed the glowing rest of it into the dark earth.

"How so?" Emma looked curiously at Regina and the brunette looked up at her.

"You don't rub it in like they do. You also don't think that the fact that you're good makes you stand above any kind of rule or law. I appreciate that."

"You're in love with me, aren't you?" Emma said with a grin.

Regina merely rolled her eyes but didn't say anything, didn't deny Emma's supposition.

"Why are you here tonight, Regina?"

The mayor still didn't answer. She buried her head deeper in Emma's shoulder. The sheriff put her arm around Regina and pulled her closer.

Minutes went by as they sat silently.

Regina lifted her head from Emma's shoulder. "I saw you walk out of town and followed you," she answered Emma's question. "We should leave, it's getting cold." Regina stood and held her hand out for Emma to take. She pulled the blonde up until they stood toe to toe, looking into each other's eyes.

Emma lifted a hand and lay it on Regina's cheek.

"I'm in love with you, too," she said.

Regina leaned her head into Emma's hand. For a moment, everything around her was still and warm and good. She smiled with eyes closed. When she opened her eyes again, she took a step back. "Thanks for sharing."

Emma nodded, not showing her disappointment at a missed opportunity of revealing feelings long buried. "That's what friends do." She shrugged.

"Come on, friend," Regina held out her hand to Emma and the blonde took it. "I got a Christmas present for you to undress at the mansion. Unwrap, I mean."


End file.
